My Take: 25 Least Favorite Movies of 1975-1979
by JCarl01 | created - 29 Jul 2011 | updated - 13 Jul 2015 | PublicFinding 25 movie from this time period was more difficult that I first thought. Not because there aren't a slew of unlikeable movies, but few that I've actually bothered to watch in their entirety. It's not fair to list films I remember loathing, based on nothing more than a short synopses from an HBO guide. During 1975-1979, I was seven-to-eleven years old. That should explain the inclusion of some children's films on this list. As you can tell, I'm not a Monty Python fan, never have been, never will be. If you are, then don't be offended. I'm obviously in the minority on that subject, and I concede that point. Fair enough. Sure, there are indeed some movies here that are considered classics (ERASERHEAD and APOCALYPSE NOW, to name a few), but I simply do not enjoy these movies, regardless of their artistic merit. The more I'm pressed into appreciating them, the more I dislike 'em. Was I, perhaps, too young to have understood them, you ask? Perhaps, but my memories of them are so repugnant that I have no interest in ever revisiting these films, no matter how much anyone argues in their defense. I'm too old nowadays to waste time second-guessing myself.
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1. Apocalypse Now (1979)
R | 147 min | Drama, Mystery, War
A U.S. Army officer serving in Vietnam is tasked with assassinating a renegade Special Forces Colonel who sees himself as a god.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest
Votes: 710,662 | Gross: $83.47M
2. The Water Babies (1978)
94 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
This children's fantasy tells the story of a 12-year-old boy who discovers a complex underwater world where young children are held prisoner by an evil shark and an eel.
Directors: Lionel Jeffries, Miroslaw Kijowicz | Stars: James Mason, Bernard Cribbins, Billie Whitelaw, Joan Greenwood
Votes: 1,483
3. House (1977)
Not Rated | 88 min | Comedy, Horror
A schoolgirl and six of her classmates travel to her aunt's country home, which turns out to be haunted.
Director: Nobuhiko Ôbayashi | Stars: Kimiko Ikegami, Miki Jinbo, Kumiko Ôba, Ai Matsubara
Votes: 33,751
4. Eraserhead (1977)
Not Rated | 89 min | Fantasy, Horror
Henry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newly born mutant child.
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart, Allen Joseph, Jeanne Bates
Votes: 127,558 | Gross: $7.00M
5. The Eiger Sanction (1975)
Approved | 129 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Classical art professor and collector Dr. Jonathan Hemlock, who doubles as a professional assassin, is coerced out of retirement to avenge the murder of an old friend.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Clint Eastwood, George Kennedy, Vonetta McGee, Jack Cassidy
Votes: 22,351 | Gross: $1.53M
6. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
PG | 91 min | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table embark on a surreal, low-budget search for the Holy Grail, encountering many, very silly obstacles.
Directors: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones | Stars: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam
Votes: 570,496 | Gross: $1.23M
7. Life of Brian (1979)
R | 94 min | Comedy
Born on the original Christmas in the stable next door to Jesus Christ, Brian of Nazareth spends his life being mistaken for a messiah.
Director: Terry Jones | Stars: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam
Votes: 421,943 | Gross: $20.05M
8. Futureworld (1976)
PG | 108 min | Sci-Fi, Thriller
Upon uncovering the dirty secret of futuristic theme-park Futureworld, an ex-employee is killed after he tips off two other reporters who decide to do an undercover investigation.
Director: Richard T. Heffron | Stars: Peter Fonda, Blythe Danner, Arthur Hill, Yul Brynner
Votes: 11,790 | Gross: $8.72M
9. Circle of Iron (1978)
R | 102 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A young martial artist embarks on an adventure, encountering other martial artists in battle until one day he meets an aging blind man who will show him the true meaning of martial arts and life.
Director: Richard Moore | Stars: David Carradine, Jeff Cooper, Christopher Lee, Roddy McDowall
Votes: 2,606
10. Bugsy Malone (1976)
G | 93 min | Comedy, Crime, Family
The classic gangster story of Bugsy Malone told with an all-child cast.
Director: Alan Parker | Stars: Jodie Foster, Scott Baio, Florence Garland, John Cassisi
Votes: 19,466 | Gross: $2.78M
11. A Little Romance (1979)
PG | 110 min | Adventure, Comedy, Romance
An American teenager living in Paris meets and falls in love with a local.
Director: George Roy Hill | Stars: Laurence Olivier, Diane Lane, Thelonious Bernard, Arthur Hill
Votes: 6,431
12. Agatha (1979)
PG | 105 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
In December 1926, Agatha Christie's husband asks for a divorce. She leaves her car and goes missing for 11 days. She books into a hotel as Mrs. Neele. A US reporter looks for her and investigates.
Director: Michael Apted | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Vanessa Redgrave, Timothy Dalton, Helen Morse
Votes: 3,602 | Gross: $7.50M
13. Dot and the Kangaroo (1977)
TV-Y7-FV | 71 min | Animation, Drama, Family
A young girl gets lost in the Australian outback and befriends a kangaroo
Director: Yoram Gross | Stars: Barbara Frawley, Joan Bruce, Spike Milligan, June Salter
Votes: 877
14. The Wiz (1978)
G | 134 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
An adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz" that tries to capture the essence of the African-American experience.
Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross
Votes: 17,059 | Gross: $21.05M
15. The Norseman (1978)
PG | 90 min | Action, Adventure
An eleventh century Viking Prince sails to America to find his father, who on a previous voyage had been captured by Indians.
Director: Charles B. Pierce | Stars: Lee Majors, Cornel Wilde, Mel Ferrer, Jack Elam
Votes: 914
16. Hair (1979)
PG | 121 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
Claude Bukowski leaves the family ranch in Oklahoma for New York where he is rapidly embraced into the hippie group of youngsters led by Berger, yet he's already been drafted. He soon falls in love with Sheila Franklin, a rich girl but still a rebel inside.
Director: Milos Forman | Stars: John Savage, Treat Williams, Beverly D'Angelo, Annie Golden
Votes: 40,897 | Gross: $15.28M
17. Goldengirl (1979)
PG | 104 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Sport
A neo-Nazi doctor tries to make a superwoman of his daughter who has been specially fed, exercised, and conditioned since she was a child in preparation of the Olympics.
Director: Joseph Sargent | Stars: James Coburn, Susan Anton, Curd Jürgens, Harry Guardino
Votes: 513
18. Americathon (1979)
PG | 86 min | Comedy, Musical
In a story told in narrative flashbacks, a young TV consultant is hired by the President of a bankrupt USA to organize a telethon in order to prevent the country from being repossessed by wealthy Native Americans.
Director: Neal Israel | Stars: Harvey Korman, Fred Willard, Peter Riegert, Zane Buzby
Votes: 958 | Gross: $6.17M
19. The Haunting of Julia (1977)
R | 98 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
After her daughter's death, wealthy American homemaker Julia Lofting moves to London to restart her life. All seems well until she is haunted by the ghosts of other children while mourning for her own.
Director: Richard Loncraine | Stars: Mia Farrow, Keir Dullea, Tom Conti, Jill Bennett
Votes: 3,011
20. Ode to Billy Joe (1976)
PG | 106 min | Drama
In 1950s Mississippi, teenager Bobbie Lee Hartley navigates her blossoming hormones as she is courted by Billy Joe McAllister, who is headed for tragedy.
Director: Max Baer Jr. | Stars: Robby Benson, Glynnis O'Connor, Joan Hotchkis, Sandy McPeak
Votes: 2,165
21. The Psychic (1977)
R | 90 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A clairvoyant woman discovers a skeleton in a wall in her husband's house, and seeks to find the truth about what happened to the victim.
Director: Lucio Fulci | Stars: Jennifer O'Neill, Gabriele Ferzetti, Marc Porel, Gianni Garko
Votes: 6,412
22. Born Again (1978)
PG | 110 min | Biography, Drama
Charles Colson was involved in the infamous Watergate scandal that brought down the administration of former President Richard Nixon. Colson was sentenced to prison for the crimes he ... See full summary »
Director: Irving Rapper | Stars: Dean Jones, Anne Francis, Jay Robinson, Dana Andrews
Votes: 171
23. Olly, Olly, Oxen Free (1978)
G | 83 min | Adventure
Two young boys and an eccentric old woman who owns a junkyard work together to build a hot-air balloon in time to launch it on the birthday of one boy's late grandfather.
Director: Richard A. Colla | Stars: Katharine Hepburn, Kevin McKenzie, Dennis Dimster, Peter Kilman
Votes: 311
24. Casa privata per le SS (1977)
Not Rated | 82 min | Horror, Thriller, War
Nazi officials recruit prostitutes to gather intelligence on potential plots against Hitler by seducing those suspected of disloyalty within the military ranks.
Director: Bruno Mattei | Stars: Gabriele Carrara, Marina Daunia, Macha Magall, Vassili Karis
Votes: 737
25. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978)
PG | 113 min | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
A small-town band hits it big, but it must battle a nefarious plot in the music industry.
Director: Michael Schultz | Stars: Peter Frampton, Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb
Votes: 6,988 | Gross: $20.38M
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